YouTube tests hiding dislike counts in response to targeted campaigns, improve wellbeing

Abner Li | Mar 30 2021 - 10:31 am PT

YouTube is always running several tests, and the latest sees it hide the public dislike count in response to creator feedback. It follows how the Google video site has publicly obscured subscriber totals for some time now.

YouTube is “testing a few new designs that don’t show the public dislike count.” One example sees Google continue to show how many thumbs up a video has underneath the icon, but the reverse action is just accompanied by the word “Dislike.” The regular Share, Download, and Save icons — with Shorts coming soon — round out the bar below a video on mobile.

For viewers, if you’re in the experiment, you can still like or dislike a video to share feedback with creators and help tune the recommendations you see on YouTube.

This move was made “in response to creator feedback around well-being and targeted dislike campaigns.” Google notes how creators will still “see the exact number of likes and dislikes in YouTube Studio.”